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Headphones

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 Enty 11 Jan 2014
Can anyone recommend a pair of headphones?

I want to plug them into my computer, turn the volume up to 30 and I want it to feel like I'm in a club. No one else in the room should be able to hear anything.
After 2 hours I want to be half deaf and suffering mild tinitus which takes at least half a day to clear.

Cheers,

E
 Nathan Adam 11 Jan 2014
OP Enty 11 Jan 2014
In reply to Nath93:

Yeah, cheers I got some Sennheiser Budds for training on the bike - what do you recommend for in the house? I want some big f*ckers to cover my ears and be really comfortable.

E
OP Enty 11 Jan 2014
In reply to Nath93:

http://en-uk.sennheiser.com/audio-headphones-stereo-hifi-hd-558

Look sweet, wasn't planning on paying a grand for some of the others

E
 Neil R 11 Jan 2014
In reply to Enty:

If you want to reduce the noise other people hear then get some closed headphones.

Can recommend these although it depends how much you want to pay:

http://www.trustedreviews.com/Denon-AH-D2000-Headphones_Headphones_review
 Nathan Adam 11 Jan 2014
In reply to Enty: Ah right, I only have budd ones and find I can't listen to anything up full any more. Any of the big buggers from them should see you good, within reason on the price range right enough !
needvert 11 Jan 2014
In reply to Nath93:

> You're welcome.


Pretty much. Their 555s used to be considered very good for their price point, got a pair and they have been great. Unfortunately they aren't made anymore. Maybe check out the 558s that look like their replacement.
 Mr Lopez 11 Jan 2014
In reply to Enty:
If you want to be wearing hearing aids before months end get a pair from the DJ line. I had a few pairs of the 25's back when they were £70 rather than the £180 odd they are now and the earpieces were so loud i used sometimes as speakers... The newer models in that line are even louder.
Post edited at 23:26
 Murderous_Crow 12 Jan 2014
In reply to Enty: Have a look at AKGs. They have brilliant audio quality, good construction, and a lack of silly marketing means they still sell for reasonable money. I've used their portable 'phones and their more home / studio oriented 'phones and they are very good.

Regardless of brand: if you want volume look for headphones with a higher sensitivity. Over 105dB is probably about right. Impedance is important if you care about sound quality. Generally 32ohm and less is suitable for portable sources, however you will get better bang for your buck with a mains-powered audio source and higher impedance rating 'phones, as distortion will be lower at any given output. Home hi-fi headphones tend to be over 100ohm or so. This also means they're less affected by long cable lengths, so ideal if you like to sit and listen in a comfy chair miles from your amp. Also consider 'phones frequency response - look for drivers which respond below 20hz, otherwise you can end up with a flat and lifeless sound. My B&W P7s respond down to 10hz and sound amazing, esp. with more bassy music.

A final point is generally, avoid earbuds (unless you can try a pair first) for obvious reasons most shops are reluctant. You can make general observations about in-ear phones but fit, comfort and character are very individual things, and it's easy to get stuck with something you don't really like.
 The Lemming 12 Jan 2014
In reply to Enty:

If you have a Richer Sounds nearby then check out what they have to offer. Its usually slightly out of date and as such does not have the hefty price tags of the brand new stuff. But unlike food, headphones don't have a sell-by date.

I was in a dilemma last year and checked out everything that they had to offer and eventually plumped for a pair of Audio Technica ATH-ES7. At the time these were the only headphones that I liked the sound out of and at a price that I was willing to part with. You can buy these headphones cheaper on line but at least you can test a pair and choose if you like their sound before parting with some dosh.

It was only after I read some reviews that I realised that they are jolly good and get better with time as some magic happens with burning in. Way ober my head.

Every now and then I test Display Headphones at places such as PC World, Tesco and such like and the only cans that have come close are some BOSE jobbies which obviously have an astronomical price tag. Even then the BOSE jobbies sound tame and lifeless.

All the other headphones that I have tried, somehow pump up fake bass to make them sound more expensive.

Its all personal, but give Richer Sounds a try.

http://www.richersounds.com/product/all-headphones/audio-technica/ath-es7/a...
Antigua 12 Jan 2014
In reply to Enty:

Had a pair of Shure SE535 in ear bud type head phones for about 2 years and I simply can't find words to say how awesomely good they sounded. Down side was that they weren't great for extended multi-hour listening (4+ hours) and the price.
In reply to Enty:

If you want isolation, you can't do much better than the Sennheiser HD-25's. They don't faff around with audio-modifying digital noise cancelling that rarely works, but instead they're designed to cancel noise by way of their construction. Most people working in outdoor broadcast or sound/field recording will have a pair on their head.
 thin bob 12 Jan 2014
In reply to Enty:

Which? recommend
Sennheiser RS180 (lightweight & wireless, so you can strut yo bad stuff round the room) £rrp170

Bose quiet comfort £260 - I think plane Quiet have topped them recently IIRC for travel use.
Bowers & Wilkins P5 £250 bit heavy /tight

Always been impressed by sennheiers.
OP Enty 12 Jan 2014
In reply to Everyone:

Cheers!! Some great ideas there - I'll get surfing and see what prices I can come up with.

E

 FreshSlate 12 Jan 2014
In reply to thin bob:

Generally don't recommend Bose, they are usually expensive for what you get, with the money they spend advertising at kitting shops out with specialist acoustic environments to make their stuff sound better than the opposition.

That being said, they possibly make something at a good price point, but in general they have a bad name with audiophiles.

It's usually unlikely but could you try some out first?
 steve taylor 12 Jan 2014
In reply to Enty:

Just checked the current Which? review... Here are the top 5 in top-down order...

Sennheiser RS 180
Sony MDR-1R
Sennheiser PX 100-II
Bose QuietComfort 15
Bowers & Wilkins P5

Some of these appear to be older models (tried to get the PX-100 recently but no stock anywhere). I tried the Bose in a shop and thought they were excellent, but not willing to pay that price.

 PeterM 12 Jan 2014
In reply to Enty:

Have a look here:
http://www.whathifi.com/search/apachesolr_search?filters=tid%3A350%20type%3...
I got a pair of these for sitting at work:
http://www.whathifi.com/review/panasonic-rp-htx7
Inexpensive and great sound. Metal headband too.
 lost1977 12 Jan 2014
In reply to Enty:

Sennheiser hd800
 Nic 12 Jan 2014
In reply to Enty:

Another vote for Sennheiser, I have the HD 650s*, but if you are just looking for ear-splitting volume not sure it's worth spending lots of cash as after 5 minutes your ears won't really appreciate the difference!



* open rather than closed back so probably not ideal for your requirements
 t0mb0 12 Jan 2014
In reply to Nic:

> Another vote for Sennheiser, I have the HD 650s*, but if you are just looking for ear-splitting volume not sure it's worth spending lots of cash as after 5 minutes your ears won't really appreciate the difference!

> * open rather than closed back so probably not ideal for your requirements

This point is important given the request in the original post that no one else in the room should hear. You absolutely need a closed back design headphones for this. I have German Maestro 8.35D for work where I don't want to disturb anyone else in the office, these would fit the bill but you should probably try whatever pair you are thinking about on to check they are comfortable. The Sennheiser HD25 recommended in another post would also work.
 lost1977 13 Jan 2014
In reply to t0mb0:

Hd25 are nice it's what I use to have now I have the hd215 , sound is better but preferred the 25 for longer use as the hd215 my ears get too warm
OP Enty 13 Jan 2014
In reply to lost1977:

Quite like the look of the HD 25's. Says they're good for DJ monitoring too which would be useful to me.

Cheers,

E
 alooker 21 Jan 2014
In reply to Enty:

To feel like you're in a club you need little hyped low end but don't necessarily need the stereo image to be striking - Sennheiser do this well! AKG k702 on the other hand are my personal favourite, but some find them a little bright, very nice stereo/soundstage though. If you want something that'll sound great but are brash then the Grado headphones are great. When you get over a certain price the headphones start needing to be driven by a more powerful amplifier than say a computer as you have, just something to bear in mind.
 Lurking Dave 21 Jan 2014
In reply to Enty:

Having gone through the research process I ended up with Audio Technica ATM-H50s. Very, very impressed.

Oh and Sennheiser 300MkII earbuds for when you don't want to look like a DJ.
Cheers
LD
 muttley_109 21 Jan 2014
In reply to Enty:

If you dont want everyone else in the room to hear then you wil need closed back headphones not open back.
Also if you want a pair of high quality headphones dont forget to have a look at your music source. Have you got a good sound card in the computer with a decent output? Dont forget headphone amplifiers too.
I have a pair of Ultrasone headphones running with a fiio headphone amplifier and the sound quality is incredible.


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